Canopy activity in the Cerro Negro Volcano

More details about the new touristic attraction available in the Cerro Negro, in the department of León.

The department León is one of the most visited in whole Nicaragua because of its cultural richness and its natural beauty. One of its numerous volcanoes, the Cerro Negro Volcano, is very famous for its activity of volcanoboarding (similar to sandboarding, you go down of the volcano sat on a board).

Thanks to a project executed by the Ecology and Development Foundation (Fundación Ecología y Desarrollo – ECODES), in collaboration with the Autonomous National University of Nicaragua (UNAN) and the municipalities of León and Larreynaga, now the site can also offer an activity of canopy to both national and foreign tourists.

The Canopy Cerro Negro is an infrastructure of 829m which has 7 platforms providing panoramic view, an information and waiting house and a suspension bridge of 17m. The itinerary was designed so that tourists can climb up the volcano walking, go down volcanoboarding or running, and come back to the entrance of the site, to the Interpretative Center Los Maribios, with the canopy.

As part of the project, Luis Sequeira, Nicaraguan expert from the Company Cables y Aventuras de Nicaragua, trained 12 youths from the nearby communities in operation and maintenance of the canopy, in order to ensure good functioning of the infrastructure and security to the visitors.

Apart from that new attraction, the project worked in 8 communities from the Natural Reserve Volcano Complex Las Pilas – El Hoyo in order to improve the development of rural tourism in the totality of the area. Here is a list of the major achievements:

Strengthening of the Cooperative Pilas – El Hoyo and creation of the Touristic Cooperative Los Terreros

Training of 26 youths from those communities in first aid, fauna and flora, who received their official diploma as touristic guides

Business plans were made for 26 community MSMEs which provide services of food, housing, wooden and clay handicrafts, and rural touristic transport (traditional carts with oxes)

Professors and students from the UNAN León elaborated a study on fauna and flora of the region

2 touristic viewpoints were constructed: one in Cerro El Hoyo and the other in Larreynaga

29km of path and 9 tracks were improved, and sign boards were put in several strategic points

And finally small initiatives of environmental awareness campaign and reforestation were implemented.

It is important to mention that this initiative represents a total inversion of 250,020€ and is part of the “Colonial and Volcanoes Route” (CVR), financed by the European Union and the Nicaraguan Government, executed by the Nicaraguan Institute of Tourism (INTUR), with technical support from the Cooperation Agency of Luxembourg (LuxDev).To have more information on this project of the CVR, you can visit the following webpage.